Danny's Snow Day
by TheFreshApple
Summary: He took her shift to give her a snow day… now it’s his turn. Contains spoilers for Ep. 3.24, Snow Day... DL all the way!
1. Chapter the First

**Title:** Danny's Snow Day

**Author:** Spontaneity

**Disclaimer:** None of them are mine, but someone up there must really like me!!!!

**Pairing:** Danny/Lindsay… Who else, I mean, really!

**Summary:** He took her shift to give her a snow day… now it's his turn.

**A/N:** Okay, so after that AMAZING episode, the muses spoke to me… in the form of a friend who thinks my obsession is insane but who I have infected by the said-obsession. (HAH!) Anywho, this takes place after Ep 3.24, _Snow Day_. Does contain spoilers, so if you don't wanna know, don't read.

---

"Stella!" Lindsay's voice echoed down the hallway of the cold, clean hospital and Stella tilted her head in the young woman's direction, not taking her eyes off the limp form of Adam Ross in the hospital bed on the other side of the glass. "Yeah?"

"How's he doing?" Tired and weary, Lindsay's voice nevertheless held the hope that her co-worker's eyes would soon open and Adam would be cracking jokes around the lab again soon. She wrapped her arms around her torso and stood next to the older CSI, observing quietly as well. Lindsay's brown eyes took in the beeping monitors and slow dripping anesthetic, biting her lip as her sight took in Adam's beaten face.

Stella sighed. After the events of this morning, she was in no mood to run the risk of losing a team member. Mac and Peyton had already taken off for London, if womanly intuition meant anything, and Flack was supervising the cleanup around the lab with Hawkes. With all hands on busy, Stella was left to worry and pace in the waiting room of St. Benedict's Hospital. "The doctor said he took quite a beating, but it's only a matter of time before he can come back to work. Danny, on the other hand," Stella sighed again and turned to Lindsay, running a hand through curly locks, "he's got at least four weeks before he can come back. That hand has to heal properly and he took a couple good blows to the ribs." Suddenly, Stella felt very old, older than a woman her age was supposed to be feeling. "Something tells me that isn't going to sit right with him."

Lindsay nodded. "I know what you mean. They were giving him a dose of painkillers when I saw him last, and he didn't look too pleased with the whole mess."

"He's not good with morphine. Something from his baseball past, that's all I know." Stella folded her arms, thinking. "What he needs is someone to stay with him while he's down, to make sure he behaves himself."

Lindsay hesitated. If she volunteered, Stella would think something had happened. Not that Lindsay didn't want Stella to think something had happened, she just wasn't sure she wanted Stella badgering her for information at that very moment. However, if Lindsay didn't step up to the plate and take Danny in, he could end up staying with Flack, and that could only mean trouble. Plus, with Danny being in such a vulnerable state as he was, it was undoubtedly sure that he would pull some feeling of rejection and think their "pool game" had meant nothing more to her than a fling. Lindsay clenched her teeth to keep from blushing: she would never look at a pool table the same way again, that was for damn sure.

"I guess I could ask Don if he would let Danny stay with him…" Stella mused, talking more to herself than to Lindsay. The younger woman's head shot up, eyes wide. "Or, I could take him," she threw in, feeling her cheeks grow warm when Stella looked at her questioningly. "I mean, Flack's got a lot of work to do, and he's got a hectic schedule coming up. I don't think Danny would mind…"

"No, I'm sure he wouldn't." Stella's green eyes scanned over the young CSI's face, looking for some kind of hint as to what was going on in Lindsay Monroe's head. She must have found what she was looking for, because Lindsay could practically see the little Bunsen burner flame turn on over Stella Bonasera's head. "Okay, well, go tell Danny," she ordered, keeping her voice as calm as possible. Lindsay nodded and turned, casting one last sad look at Adam before heading off down the hall.

"Oh, and Linds," Stella's voice rang out and Lindsay stopped in her tracks, wincing… _So close, and yet…not quite close enough._ She turned slowly. "Yeah?"

"We will be talking about you and Danny later." Stella smiled smugly as Lindsay nodded once before turning back around, squaring her shoulders, and walking down the hall with her head held high. Chuckling, Stella turned back to the window, watching Adam breathe in time with the machine. Sometimes, she just couldn't help herself.

---

"I already told you people… I ain't takin' no stinkin' morphine." Danny tried to stand, but the pain and exhaustion overtook him and he ended up back on the bed, feeling like a young child who couldn't get his way. "Look in my file…I can't have morphine."

The nurse sighed, clacking the stud in her tongue angrily against her teeth. "Detective Messer, we need to give you something to numb the pain."

Angry blue eyes, hazy with suffering, stared up at the pink haired girl defiantly. "Tell you what… how about you back off with that needle and I come up with my own way of getting' rid of my pain. I've done it once, I'm sure I can do it again."

"Do you know nothing about New York cops?" A woman's voice cut through the tension and the young nurse marveled at the wave of relief that swept over the man's face. "They're extremely stubborn, and if you happen to get them to listen to you, it's only because you're either confessing or giving up names." Lindsay's eyes sparkled as she walked to where Danny was sitting. She smiled at him, motioning for the nurse to give him the shot. "You argue far too much."

Danny smiled. "Says the queen of all hard-headed cops." He winked. "Nice try." His uninjured hand went up, stopping the nurse in her tracks. "I don't take morphine."

Throwing her hands up in exasperation, the nurse stomped out of the room, muttering under her breath. Lindsay watched her go, a bemused look on her face. "You're probably gonna get her fired."

"Better her than me." Danny winced as he attempted to push himself off the bed and ended up grabbing onto Lindsay for support. "Let's get back to my place and let the healin' process begin."

"Easy, cowboy. You're injured." Lindsay placed a hand on Danny's chest, guiding him out. "We're going back to my place until you get better. The doctor says nothing strenuous until that hand is fully healed. Work or otherwise."

She smirked at the puppy-dog look in his eyes when he heard that piece of news. "You gotta be kiddin' me." Stopping in the middle of the hallway, Danny stared at her in disbelief. "I just had the best night of my life, and now you're tellin' me I can't have a repeat? Did they give you somethin' too?"

Lindsay laughed, covering her mouth with one hand and pulling Danny's arm around her shoulders with the other. "No, I'm just following orders. And you should consider yourself lucky…" she pushed open the doors to the hospital, guiding him into the cool evening. "Flack was next on the list of caretakers. I, however, took pity on you and decided to give up my social life so that you could get well. Honestly, Danny," Lindsay hailed a cab, pretending to be insulted while the grin on her face told another story. "Where's your sense of courtesy?"

Danny sighed. "I left it in the warehouse." He snaked his well hand under her chin, guiding her eyes to his. Gently, he pressed his lips against hers, feeling the softness of her mouth that he had craved ever since he had slipped from her arms that morning. "Thank you," he whispered, pulling away as a yellow taxi pulled up next to the curb. Lindsay simply nodded, guiding him into the cab first. _The man is a god, for Pete's sake,_ she thought, grinning slowly. _This is gonna be harder than I thought. _

The ride back to her apartment was quiet, with Danny dozing off every few moments and Lindsay simply watching over her patient silently. When the driver stopped in front of her building, she paid him quickly and pulled a sleepy Danny out of the back, steering him up the stairs to the front door. Rummaging for her keys, Lindsay could feel Danny coming slowly back to consciousness. "We there yet?" he mumbled, pressing his face into her hair and neck. She nodded, sighing triumphantly when the right key presented itself and slipped securely into the lock. She took Danny to the elevator and punched the button for the fifth floor. The car creaked slowly into life and Lindsay felt herself deflate slightly. _Almost there_.

Danny leaned against her while she unlocked the apartment door, struggling to hold himself up. The combined effects of pain and the events of the day had left him feeling drained. As much as he hated to show it, he was tired and no one was more relieved than him when she got that door open and gently pulled him inside.

Lindsay didn't stop until she reached the bedroom, only hesitating for a moment to nudge open the door with her foot. If Danny thought it odd that she was putting him in her room, he didn't say anything, collapsing on the bed as soon as he was able. He felt her take his broken glasses from his pocket and put them on the bedside table. "I can't believe I've never seen your place before this, Montana," he muttered, breaking the silence.

Lindsay smiled. "Well, you show me yours, and I'll show you mine. This is mine."

"I know. I'm well aware. I kinda thought it'd be more feminine, you know? Have more of a girly feel to it."

Lindsay couldn't help it: she rolled her eyes at his tired words. "I don't do girly. You of all people should know that."

A gentle pressure on her hand made her look at his face in worry. Was she stressing him out too much? But Danny's eyes were closed and his face was void of all pain. "I only meant that I like what you've done with the place. God forbid you should be girly."

Lindsay smiled. "Well, aren't you sweet? Rest now, I'll make you some tea."

"Tea?" His voice was weak but skeptic. "I dunno, Linds…"

"You'll like it, I promise. I'll dig into my favorite store and make you some raspberry tea. It's the only kind worth having."

Danny smiled. "If you insist." His breathing gradually slowed and his face became passive, completely shut off from the world and yet, he was vulnerable all at the same time. Lindsay watched him for a moment before smiling and leaning down to kiss him gently. "Enjoy your snow day," she whispered, running a hand through his hair before creeping out of the room and shutting the door silently behind her.

And Danny Messer slept.

---

_Well… what do you think?_


	2. Chapter the Second

**A/N:** _Because I love you guys… chapter 2! And I could kiss you all for the wonderful reviews you bestowed upon me… I have never had so many reviews for one story in all my time here! Granted, that hasn't been very long, but y'all know what I mean! Thanks for it all! _

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Danny awoke to pain. No, scratch that, Danny awoke to a million fire ants crawling through his left hand and rib cage, determined to destroy every fiber of his being. Not one of his better mornings, he had to admit. But was it even morning? Tentatively, so as not to disturb the ants, he sat up in a bed that wasn't his, in a room that did not belong to him. _What the hell?_ Then it all came rushing back, and he couldn't help but smile. _Montana came to my rescue. If it were anyone else, I'd be gone by now, busted hand or no._

_Wait a second…_ Danny shook his head, determined to shut up the moron within. That's something pain did to him: made him an absolute idiot until he could think straight. Maybe he didn't want to leave Lindsay's apartment, but he did want to get out of her bed, (which was a first), and get some answers before anything else happened, (also a first). Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he winced. _Oops. The ants are alert. Angry little suckers._ Slowly, so as not to damage anything more than necessary, he stood, taking extra care to not lean with his left hand. He blinked a few times, realizing he was almost completely blind. _Glasses… Where are you?_ That's when he remembered getting punched in the face, to the extent that his glasses broke. _Ah, yes. The druggies. _Danny ground his teeth, feeling his face stiffen with the effort. He must look a sight.

_And they kept callin' me a guinea cop. Stupid Micks._ If there was anything Danny hated in this world, racial slurs had to be in his top ten list. His mother had managed to beat some sense into him after all. _Ha. If only Ma could see me now. She'd have a fit, and then tell Louie to go beat up the kids who did this._ Thinking of Louie only made him hurt more, just not in the injured areas of his broken body.

A sudden thought came to his mind, and Danny let out a strangled chuckle. He had spent his entire childhood trying to stay out of a gang, and here he was, bloody and bruised from a gang fight. What was the irony, huh?

A crash from outside the bedroom made him jump, and he swore quietly under his breath. _Ouch._ Gingerly moving towards the door, he pulled it open, surprised to see the New York skyline in the darkness. _What time is it?_ Careful not to startle anyone, Danny softly moved down the hallway towards the kitchen. The bright lights made him stop and he stood squinting in the doorway.

"Danny, what the hell are you doing out of bed already?" Lindsay's voice cut through the pain of the lights and his wounds and he smiled. There she is, standing in the same jeans she wore to his place and an old t-shirt, holding a tea kettle in one hand and a little bag with a string attached in the other. Her face, stern but kind, surveyed him, and she sighed. "Well, I guess I can't make you sleep anymore than you want to. But at least sit down, will ya?" She motioned to the kitchen table and Danny complied. Gratefully. The sharp pains in his abdomen subside to a dull throb and he grits his teeth. _Can't let her see me like this._ "What time is it?" He voiced his previous question, mentally kicking himself when his voice isn't as strong as he wanted it to be.

"Umm, it's about two in the morning. You slept **maybe** three hours?" Lindsay cocked her head and closed her eyes, calculating. "Yeah, that's about right. How about some tea?"

"Once again, Linds, I don't think I'll like it. I'm a coffee man, myself."

"You'll never know until you try."

"You sound like my mother." He beamed at her as she glared over her shoulder. From where he sat, he had a perfect view of her backside, and what a lovely view it was. She turned from the sink to catch him staring at her ass and he shrugged. "Can you blame me? C'mon," he winked and she couldn't help but smile. "I'm a red-blooded American male with an over-active imagination. Those jeans aren't helping much either."

"You didn't mind them last night." She couldn't help herself. He walked right into it, and he knew it. There, the telltale blush of embarrassment that only she could see. She grinned triumphantly. "Monroe: one; Messer: zip."

"Well, I didn't know we were playing." Danny shifts in his chair and immediately his eyes begin to water from the pain. "All this playful banter is too confusing for one man to handle on his own."

"Like hell." Standing, she goes to him, hovering above him so her waist is level with his face. "You're an invalid. I shouldn't be bantering with you at all."

Danny sighed. "You're making me feel weak. Stop or I'll hobble out of here, cast and all."

Lindsay laughed and put the kettle on the stove, turning the knob on high. "Sure. You try that, cowboy. I bet you don't even make the door."

He blew a breath of frustration. "True." Another pang of discomfort and he has to move again, only this time he stands up to lean against the countertop. It's not a nice, comfy bed, but it sure beats sitting down and letting his body crush in on his ribs.

"If you're in so much pain, why don't you just go lie down?" Lindsay's brown eyes don't miss a beat and she crosses her arms in a motherly manner. Danny offered a weak crooked smile, a peace offering. "Cuz I'd rather be out here, talkin' to you."

"So talk." Lindsay leans against the counter next to him. "Why didn't you take the morphine?"

"I think we should all suffer as God intended: naturally." Danny snorted as Lindsay's face took on an expression of complete martyrdom and skepticism. "Kiddin'. Umm… it's kind of a long story."

Lindsay spread her arms wide. "I'm not goin' anywhere." She sat down in the kitchen chair Danny had been previously occupying. "Stella told me it was a baseball thing. Is that true?"

"Kinda." Exhaling deeply, Danny studied the woman in front of him for a moment before speaking. Except for his family, Lindsay was the only person he trusted enough to know the whole truth. She deserved to know.

"In college, I was on the fast track to the Major Leagues. I had an ninety-five mile-per-hour pitch and I was one of the fastest runners on the college's varsity baseball team. But I had a hot temper… Shut up," He makes a face at a smirking Lindsay, "and an even hotter mouth. I would get in fights with just about anybody, and I mean, **anybody**. I picked a fight with the other team's coach one year and almost got benched for the rest of the season. Smart choices are not my strong suit." Danny grinned sheepishly and Lindsay couldn't help but roll her eyes and smile back. "Anyway, I was doin' real good with my career when suddenly one of those life-changing decision moments came around. We were in Sacramento for a tournament when a couple of my teammates and I went out to get a drink. Everything was fine until I overheard a guy from another team in the tourney talkin' about how I couldn't throw or nothin'. I knew it was all talk back then, but it still pissed me off. So I turned on the guy and threw my beer in his face.

"Bad turned to ugly real quick. Next thing I know, I'm throwin' punches like Mike Tyson when I feel this sharp pain rush through my shoulder. I find out I'm bleedin', and my guys get me to a hospital. I find out that some smart ass stabbed me in the shoulder with a shard of a broken bottle and sliced right through my tendons and nerves. I couldn't play ball for the rest of the season. Depression kicked in and pretty soon the morphine they gave me became a way out of reality. I got hooked pretty bad and nearly got kicked off the team for it. After about six months, my teammates found out and told the coach. He demanded I get help, so I did. Nearly two years in rehab combined with physical therapy kept my mind off not bein' able to play. But enough damage was done and I had to focus more on my major."

"Holy canolli." Lindsay raised a hand to her mouth, surprised at her own outburst. "Wow, Danny…"

"Hey, I was one of the lucky ones. My fix was short and I had enough good friends that refused to leave me alone through the whole ordeal." Danny winced as his hand twinged for the millionth time. "But I refuse to take that kinda risk again, and so I don't do morphine."

Lindsay nodded, biting her lip. The two of them sat in silence for a moment, not really thinking about anything, not really looking anywhere. The shrill whistle of the tea kettle surprised them both and Lindsay jumped out of her chair, searching for the tea bag she had previously had in her hand. Danny spied it on the table and reached out for it, a small whimper of pain escaping his lips when he realized he couldn't do that.

"Oh, Danny, sit." The short command was quickly waved off as he smiled heroically at her. "Nah, sittin' makes it worse. I'm fine, I promise."

She glared at him nervously before pouring hot water into a pot and dunking the bag in with it. "Lemme pour you a cup and you can be amazed."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Linds, I really don't think…"

"Oh shut up and drink, why don'tcha?" She forced a mug of steaming, fragrant tea into his good hand and Danny sighed. "Will it kill me?"

Lindsay giggled, blowing the steam off her own mug. "It shouldn't. Just try it."

Bracing himself, Danny tentatively raised the mug to his lips and drank. The fruity taste of the raspberry flowed together with the tea, all sweetened with a touch of honey. It converged on Danny's tongue, hot and wet and comforting all at once. _This must be what women feel like when they eat chocolate,_ Danny decided, savoring the taste. He looked up to see Lindsay grinning at him like a cat with a canary. "What?"

"I hate to say I told you so, Dan, but…" She pointed a single finger at him, saying in a sing-song voice, "I told ya so, I told ya so!"

He merely took another sip, trying to be dignified. She laughed and came back over to where he was leaning, joining him against the counter. They stood there for innumerable minutes, sipping tea and enjoying the other's presence. Finally, Lindsay set down her mug and crossed her arms while staring at her feet. "Danny, I just wanted to say again how sorry I am that you were in that warehouse. I should have been me, and I can't stop thinking how lucky I am to have you to keep bad things from happening to me."

Stunned, Danny stared at Lindsay for a moment before placing his own cup down as well. Turning to her, he gently placed a finger under her chin, guiding her eyes up to meet his. "Listen to me, Linds. You don't gotta be sorry for nothin'. What happened last night was magic, and when I left that apartment, I was walkin' on the clouds. Gettin' beat up by Irish thugs who don't know when they're beat didn't change anythin'. I'm still thrilled that we shared a night together, and that will remain the same for as long as this thing between us lives." He flashed the Messer grin at her. "Which better be a pretty long time, as far as I'm concerned."

Lindsay wiped unexpected tears from her eyes, surprised at his sentimentality and tenderness. "Yeah, me too." She sighed. "I just feel bad that you got beat up for no better reason than you took my shift."

"I dunno, Montana, I think that's a pretty good reason." Softly, Danny touched her hair. "I told you, you don't have to be sad or sorry or any other depressing emotion. Okay?"

"Okay," Lindsay hugged him gently, trying not to damage any of his injuries. "I'll let it go, if you promise me one thing."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"I wanna be the first one to sign your cast."

---

**A/N:** _NO MORE PROCRASTINATION! I shall work on all my other stories now. Lol… __awkward pause__ Oh look, someone wants me… Over…there… _


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